Dive into new deals, discover savvy savings in and around Taunton in the new year

January’s usually a time when people start thinking about holiday spending spree recovery, and with the changes in Social Security payroll deductions, things are even tighter this year. But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer to save, or to get financially fit. Here are some tips and advice from the pros on ways to live large on less.

January’s usually a time when people start thinking about holiday spending spree recovery, and with the changes in Social Security payroll deductions, things are even tighter this year. But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer to save, or to get financially fit. Here are some tips and advice from the pros on ways to live large on less.

Delicious savings

For cheap lunches, there’s the Silver Platter at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School and the Tiger Tent Café (seasonal) at Taunton High School. The students in the culinary programs at the respective high schools prepare the food.

The Tiger Tent Café, which was launched last year, will open again to the general public beginning in the spring and running through the remainder of the school year. Most menu items at the Tiger Tent Café, located under a large tent behind THS, cost about $5 or less, ranging from soup and sandwiches to pasta dishes and an array of baked goods.

B-P’s Silver Platter, 207 Hart St., is open from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Wednesday through Friday. Their daily menu, which offers specialties like fish, shrimp and chicken entrees alongside staples like soups, sandwiches and a salad bar, is listed at silverplatter.bptech.wikispaces.net. At the restaurant’s bakery, special orders can be made for cakes, pies and pastries. For information or a reservation call 508-823-5151 Ext. 176.

Tips from a bargain shopper

It’s not unusual to hear Amy Desrosiers tick off a list of products she’s bought for a ridiculous price. “I got so much stuff at CVS other day for $60 — almost $300 retail value,” she said in an email recently. The Fall River resident, bargain blogger and publisher of the Savvy Saving Couple website, is a coupon fan, but she doesn’t advocate the tactics of the extreme couponers seen on TV shows who go to illegal lengths to get a deal. While there’s no doubt coupons offer savings, Desrosiers offers even more ways to get a bargain.

And for customers looking for a deal — from Christmas ornaments for next year, to baby clothes and toys — January is the time to shop. Desrosiers, who already has half of her Christmas shopping done for next year, said she recently purchased stocking stuffers and gift sets at 90 percent off on seasonal clearances. The best clearance deals can often be found on store end caps, so don’t forget to check there first.

Another key to getting a bargain is to buy stuff that can be used throughout the year. “If you don’t mind snowman napkins and snowflake potholders year round, save yourself money and buy them for pennies on the dollar once they drop to deeply discounted prices,” she said.

“Overall, I’d say now is the time to shop. January is one of my absolute favorite times of the year to save money on what our family needs,” she said. “Retailers need to make room for newer model items across the board, and they need the space.”

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January is also a great time to get deals on diet and fitness products, she said, because people are looking for them to keep their New Year’s resolutions. “Ironically it is the best time to get deals on baking goods too, because stores are trying to get rid of excess stock,” she added.

Target is her No. 1 store for finding deals, and CVS, where she just bought a small TV for $39, isn’t far behind. The reason? They both allow coupon “stacking,” meaning customers can use a store’s coupon for a specific item, such as diapers, on top of a diaper manufacturer’s coupon. Instead of saving $3 on Pampers, stacking can add up to $6 savings.

As for weekly sales, she said to get to stores early before the items run out and match up coupons with sale flyers before heading out to the store.

Like a certain product? Email or send a letter to the company complimenting them and they’ll often respond with valuable coupons, and sometimes, coupons for free items, added Desrosiers. Check out her other deals at www.savvysavingcouple.net.

Is ‘day old’ a supermarket deal? Or a dud?

Tempted to scoop up that bag of rolls or box of pastry on the supermarket’s “day old” shelf? You could save more than 50 percent, but customers beware: it should be called “days old,” according to a former industry insider, who worked in the supermarket field for 16 years. The shelf life of bread is often three to four days and for cakes, it’s 10 days, so that day-old bread could be anywhere from three to five days old and the cake could be more than a week old. The prices are at the store’s cost, or even lower than cost, as stores are trying to get some profit out of it before it’s tossed or shipped off to a pig farmer.

Like the baked goods, the produce on the quick sale bins are often a result of stocking up too much, and less-than-expected produce sales. Finding a deal on the quick-sale produce bin, such as ripe bananas for a banana bread, depends on how busy the store was over the weekend. From this time of year until the Super Bowl, stores aren’t as busy, he said, adding to the likelihood of finding a bargain produce item. The produce that sometimes ends up on those shelves may have been bruised in transit before it got to the store.

Stores use the end caps for sale items, but they also distribute displays of items that aren’t on sale in aisles to tempt customers to roam through the heart of the store, thus spending more along the route.

Get pumped for fuel savings

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Supermarkets aren’t just for food; sometimes they can be the best places to gas up as well, said Mary M. Maguire, director of public and legislative affairs, AAA Southern New England. The places with longer lines for gas, such as supermarket chains that offer lower prices, combined with preferred customer card discounts, are frequently the best deals around.

“Customers should know the low end and the high end of the price range for gasoline,” she said, adding the difference between the lowest gas price and the highest gas price last Monday was 72 cents a gallon, from a low of $3.27 to a high of $3.99. “Customers need to know what’s out there and where to shop.” Most cars also run just fine on regular gas, so skip the added cost of a higher grade.

Removing heavy items such as cargo racks and heavy objects from trunks can save fuel, as does proper inflation of tires, but the biggest savings can be found by lighting up on the gas pedal. “Of all of those, the most important one is to curb your speed. You can improve fuel efficiency by 24 percent by keeping your car at 60 miles per hour (on highways),” said Maguire.

Another way to save on fuel costs is to “consider your car as a bus, versus a taxi,” she said. Instead of running out to do separate errands, pick up the kids from school or day care, and do errands along your route on the way home. For more tips on gas savings, visit www.aaa.com.

Hair and skin care at a beauty of a price

A haircut for $7 and a color or perm for $20? It’s possible if you’re willing to toss the dice a bit and have a student learn a lesson from your locks. Rob Roy Academy, 1 School St. in downtown Taunton, is open to the public 10 a.m., 1 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Fridays.

Colleges, universities get an ‘A’ for cheap services

When thinking about saving and enjoying a bit of free time, think beyond the traditional forms of entertainment. Sure, movies, restaurants and nightclubs are a fun night out, but too many can also drain the wallet. Sometimes the best entertainment/enrichment deals can be found at local colleges, universities, and libraries.

Openings for art gallery shows, theater performances, and live music are just some of the free, or ridiculously low-priced, options available on the campuses of Bristol Community College and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

“As a public university in the heart of southeastern Massachusetts, we’re here to help drive the revitalization of our region with world-class education and economic development. Because our campus community is a part of the communities we serve, we welcome residents to come see the Corsairs play, hear lectures, attend events like the Bristol County Savings Bank Freedom Festival, or just go for a walk around Ring Road,” said Rob Lamontagne, UMass Dartmouth spokesman.

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A regular roster of musicians, nationally known guest speakers, authors, poets and theatrical performances are on the schedule at UMD. One of the free offerings coming up is on Feb. 7 when the UMD College of Performing Arts presents speaker Justin Hollander at the UMass Star Store from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The free, or reduced priced, services at Bristol Community College include an array of options from the library to the walking path around the pond on the Ellsbree campus. “Bristol is the community’s college, said Sally Chapman Cameron, vice president of College Communications at BCC. “We welcome people coming to enjoy our campus, whether they walk the fitness path around the pond, or fish, or use the library. As President Sbrega always says, ‘Community is our middle name.’”

Love theater?

Trinity Repertory Company offers a pay-what-you-can night for each of its productions on the first Friday of each new production. Tickets go on sale at 6:30 p.m. and are sold one per person. “People start lining up an hour to two hours before and they pay $5, $10 or even $50,” said Marilyn Busch, Trinity director of marketing and public relations. For details on shows, visit, www.trinityrep.com.